Reportedly the final film in the series, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania was released direct to Amazon Prime Video on January 14, 2022. Easily the worst rated of the four on Rotten Tomatoes -- the critics Tomatometer coming in 52% and an audience rating of 44% -- two of its biggest funny factors weren't even part of the project, with both Adam Sandler (voice of Dracula) and Kevin James (Frank) opting out.
If all is truly said and done, the pillars of the Hotel Transylvania franchise are easily identified by the hilarity of its characters. Each unique and easily identifiable, creator Genndy Tartakovsky and his animation team turned the reins over to the voice cast and let them run wild. What results is a timeless and iconic addition to the annual Halloween viewing tradition of millions.
Mavis / Selena Gomez
Mavey-wavey is the series' heart and soul, anchoring the audience in this chaotic world of misfits and mania. She also happens to be the comedic straight-man, a twenty-something Dorothy Zbornak to this cadre of bizarre Golden Girls. While Mavis gets her share of deadpan zingers, she isn't designed to bring the funny. Mavis' humor serves only to amplify the wackiness around her. It's a shame really because, as proven by Only Murders in the Building, Selena can wield her sharp wit to great effect. A missed opportunity in all these films.
Jonathan / Andy Sandberg
The series' adorable anti-hero, Jonny is the classic fish out of water, the stoner/surfer/adventurer with a limitless love for life. Nothing fazes him as living in the moment is what makes his humor so identifiable. While Andy's legendary delivery embodies every nuance of Jonny's unbounded enthusiasm, by the second and third films his character starts to wear thin, and by Transformania his schtick borders on cringeworthy. There's no arguing Jonny possesses the lion's share of the franchise's best lines, but spreading that wealth around to other of the Drac Pack could have made so many moments even more memorable.
Murray / CeeLo Green, Keegan-Michael Key
CeeLo's Murray was so brilliant, it's a high crime he didn't stay at the party longer. While Keegan-Michael leverages all his skills, it just doesn't match what his predecessor achieved. Murray is the Sophia Petrillo of this team -- he's been around the longest, seen and done it all, and has absolutely no filter.
Similar to the underutilization of Mavis' comic potential, everybody loves a sarcastic old fart and portraying this ancient Mummy as hip as he is makes it all the funnier. Murray is the pharaoh of one-liners and these stories simply don't deliver enough of them.
Wayne / Steve Buscemi
Nobody does the put-upon schlub like Steve Buscemi, and Wayne's beleaguered father of a werewolf pup horde ensures the parenting-gone-wrong gag trucks on through all these films. But like Jonny, his pitfall is the lack of freshness to it all. Where Wayne truly gets to shine is in the banter he shares with Murray, Griffin, Frank, and Drac. This idiotic fivesome has been getting into trouble for longer than any of them can and Wayne's fond reminiscences of their most embarrassing moments are his absolute best.
Griffin / David Spade
Even as a floating pair of glasses, Griffin is David Spade fully realized. Every tool and skill he learned through SNL, Tommy Boy, Grown Ups, and Joe Dirt gives life to this disembodied voice. By becoming a human and visible in Transformania, Griffin gets the opportunity to elevate his awkwardness to an entirely new level, as no one can get over the shock of what he really looks like. These sight gags are milked for all their worth and catapults him past Wayne in the funny factor. The disappointment lies in the revolving door of writers on these films who, unlike Adam Sandler and Robert Smigel achieved with Hotel Transylvania 2, didn't leverage Griffin's full potential.
Vlad / Mel Brooks
Casting Mel Brooks as Drac's dad was inspired brilliance. Even in his '90s, Brooks as Vlad is delivering punchlines like a 1,247-year-old Bavarian national treasure. "So, you run a hotel now? From Prince of Darkness to king of room service!"
The funniest and most memorable characters are those who show up briefly, shine their brightest light, and then retreat to the shadows. A fitting role for someone like Brooks who schooled this entire cast on what funny is, and proves there is redemption for the embarrassment that is Dracula, Dead and Loving It.
Frank / Kevin James, Brad Abrell
With so many versions of Frankenstein, from Boris Karloff to Robert DeNiro, no one has played this monster's humanity like Kevin James. Frank is Drac's ride or die, the stabilizer of his best friend's neuroses, and fans never tire of their buddy banter. Listening to Kevin and Adam Sandler bounce off each other is like a cleaner version of Michael Cera and Jonah Hill in Superbad. Even when it should be boring, it's funny. While Brad Abrell does a fine imitation in Transformania, what Kevin could have brought to this script proves the magic is truly gone.
Van Helsing / Jim Gaffigan
Elevating scene-stealing to an art form, notorious monster hunter Abraham Van Helsing shows up as the maniacal antagonist in Summer Vacation and Jim Gaffigan puts on a masterclass of over-the-top villainy. Every setup, every delivery, every non-sequitur is absurdity perfected. Even reduced to a small role in Transformania, Van Helsing sets chaos in motion in the most epic of ways, from traversing the insanity of his lab at breakneck speed to dealing with Gigi the guinea pig, his latest miscalculation. There's more funny per pound in every moment of Van Helsing's screen time.
Drac / Adam Sandler, Brian Hull
Drac is the epicenter of the Hotel Transylvania universe and Adam Sandler is his limitless energy source. Arguably, some of Sandler's most purely neurotic comedy in a career full of culturally defining moments, Drac is the force that makes these movies sing. Nearly every gag in all four films somehow originates with Drac's paranoia, and ironically he's truly the most human character of them all. While so many of his monster squad deliver the funny, Drac plays the seriousness of the situation. Every moment feels like life or death, which is what makes this idiocy so hilarious. Losing Sandler for Transformania was the stake in the heart of this character and the franchise.
Blobby / Jonny Solomon, Genndy Tartakovsky
The Buster Keaton of animation. While Blobby's moments throughout the series may be few and far between, each is comedic gold. Who even knew the world possessed so many Jell-O jokes?! What's even funnier is that he's not part of the gang. Everyone feels sorry for him, which is why he ends up tagging along... and stealing focus. There's something about a character being 100% authentic that steals the heart. Watch one of the many Blobby highlight reels on YouTube and you can't help but laugh out loud. While he'd never be able carry his own film, microdosing this gelatinous goofball is Hotel Transylvania's best buzz!
